Chooseday Challenge

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It's Tuesday, so today you get a choice between two prompts. Pick one, combine both, pit them against each other - on Tuesday, you choose!

This week, your options are:

The drainage system at the Eerie Chicken Farm versus Ballpoint Pen Caps

Sara Sue's revised family

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Look it's #EerieIndiana [6.7556@931s] #ZeroContextTV #NBC pic.twitter.com/QVIqj35XXg

— No Context TV (@UKNoContextTV) September 24, 2019

Lupo138 on Halloween viewing lineups

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So I’m totally not judging or hating, but is there anyone out there that doesn’t think Hocus Pocus is being shown too much on Freeform? Legit curious to know if anyone thinks it’s just right or even not enough.

— HorrorMovieBBQ.com (@HorrorMovieBBQ) September 23, 2019

been like that for a few years now. Put all the Halloween Towns, get some Eerie Indiana....

— Lupo (@lupo_138) September 23, 2019

MikeMonMouth on the ideal Halloween marathon

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🎃Too much to ask for a Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark marathon? 🎃

— Scottie Doesn't Know What You Did Last Summer (@MojosWork) September 23, 2019

Or Eerie, Indiana marathon!

— Mike (@mikemonmouth) September 24, 2019

I only excluded this because it's currently on Prime, but yeah, I'm definitely down for an Eerie, Indianathon.

— Scottie Doesn't Know What You Did Last Summer (@MojosWork) September 24, 2019

pic.twitter.com/LSFlVnJb9p

— Mike (@mikemonmouth) September 24, 2019

If it brought in tourist dollars, Chisel would totally allow this

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....can your friends donate a body if they had one in a hypothetical way?

— The Wasatch Jackalope (@Jackalopes_Inc) September 24, 2019

I don't see why not...but I deal in bulk only..don't come to me with one or two... if its not at least 5 Then you aren't trying hard enough....

— Rabble Rousin' Reprobate (@RogueICEagent) September 24, 2019

Maybe a co-op situation? Lopes brings one or two, I donate a couple: if we find a 3rd partner with, uh, "disposal issues" can we come as a group?

— Rather Notsay (@rathernotsay) September 24, 2019

Like a Groupon?

— The Wasatch Jackalope (@Jackalopes_Inc) September 24, 2019

Might even be in the coupon booklet in the welcome basket at the next Serial Killer Con in Eerie Indiana next time... 🤔

— wayne madison (@arkangel129) September 24, 2019

Eerie Indiana Episode Two: the Retainer

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Watch it here.

SpicyMexifry on Eerie Indiana

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My childhood!! #eerieindiana #throwback #lovedit #childhoodshow #🖤

SciFiMoviePage on Eerie Indiana

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It's not exactly correct to describe the short-lived 1991 TV series, Eerie Indiana as X-Files meets The Twilight Zone for the tween set because Eerie actually preceded the X-Files by two years!

But since it first aired in the U.S. on NBC, Eerie Indiana's original 19 episodes have built a huge worldwide following with scores of fan web sites, a 1998 spin-off series, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, and a fervent fan base which lobbied for years to get the series released on DVD. Eerie was clearly as important and pivotal a series for budding Gen Y sci-fi fans as My So-Called Life was for Gen Y teen angst.

Thirteen-year-old Marshall Teller (Omri Katz) and his family have moved from his beloved New Jersey to the picture perfect town of Eerie, Indiana. But as the boy observes, Eerie is a strange town caught between the worlds of David Lynch and Tim Burton. Elvis lives on his paper route. Big Foot rummages through the garbage. And the neighbours are very, very weird. Marshall and his best friend Simon (Justin Shenkarow), like a prototypical Mulder and Scully, start to investigate the strange happenings in their town because Marshall wants to know why Eerie is the centre of weirdness. As Mulder would say, The truth is out there.

Also reminiscent of the junior Goosebumps series (for the pre-teen set?), Eerie Indiana has an impressive pedigree. Co-creator and writer, Jose Rivera, would later write indie film The Motorcycle Diaries. His co-creating and writing partner, Karl Schaefer, would go on to write and produce The Dead Zone. And giving the series a Danny Elfman-like soundtrack is Stephen King favourite, Gary Chang (Kingdom Hospital, Rose Red, Storm of the Century). Series producer and occasional episode director was Joe Dante (Gremlins, Explorers, Small Soldiers).

Even with rotating guest directors and writers, Eerie maintained an interesting atmosphere of unease thanks to the central theme of a young stranger living in a strange land. Series star, Omri Katz, narrates each episode with a pitch perfect teenage weariness. The writers had a lot of fun playing with sci-fi themes - everything from ghosts, werewolves and aliens to mysterious Chinese restaurants, Tupperware of the damned, lost souls trapped in the one-hour of Daylight Savings time, to an episode where Marshall finds himself starring on a TV show - as Omri Katz! Though this series is almost 14 years old, it doesn't feel dated. Production values and special effects are pretty good - much better than say cheapie Canadian location shoots, Sliders or Goosebumps - and the episodes are smartly written so that fans - new and old - can enjoy the strange tales of a boy stuck in a town he can't quite call home.

Best of all are glimpses of some familiar faces. A very young Tobey Maguire (Spiderman) guest stars in the episode "The Dead Letter" as a ghost. And one-time child actor favourite, Gabriel Damon (Robocop, Star Trek) shows up in "ATM with a Heart of Gold" along with Full House teen idol, Scott Weinger (Aladdin). John Astin (The Addams Family) and Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian) guest star in an episode about a teleportation portal - in the middle of a cornfield!

WORTH IT? Long time Eerie fans should be thrilled to finally replace their worn tapes with this clean digital transfer. Unfortunately, if you're looking for extras, you won't find them on this set - no commentaries, nothing. But it's an accomplishment in itself that a 14-year-old series was done well enough to have such an enduring fan base.

RECOMMENDATION: Definitely worth a rental for a weekend of weirdness or a Halloween marathon. And fans should snap up this set to replace their tapes.